The Centre for Research on Migration, Refugees and Belonging at the University of East London is hosting a one-day conference today on “Secularism, Racism and the Politics of Belonging,” bringing together an international group of scholars on race, religion, and public policy, as well as activists:
This conference explores the ways in which questions of race, religion and religious affiliation operate in state policies and civil society in Britain and beyond.
It examines how matters of faith are constructed in relation to old and new forms of racism and to other contemporary political projects of belonging. It considers the implications for citizenship and social solidarity in the context of “the Big Society.”
These issues will be examined in relation to specific questions which have occupied the British public in recent years: constructions of “faith communities” in relation to ethnic identities; the place of religion in equality legislation and legal pluralism; debates about dress codes; and the effect of particular forms of religious education, including separate faith schools.
For additional information and a list of participants, visit the conference website.